SPORTS

Closing in on a return

By ALEX SPONSELLER
Posted 12/17/20

Last week, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo extended the statewide pause another week, pushing high school sports off until at least next Monday. Now, I am sure that these weekly updates are growing old to read. I'll admit, I'm starting to feel some

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SPORTS

Closing in on a return

Posted

Last week, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo extended the statewide pause another week, pushing high school sports off until at least next Monday.

Now, I am sure that these weekly updates are growing old to read. I’ll admit, I’m starting to feel some fatigue in breaking them down. However, in a year that has truly been going day by day, week by week, we must continue to endure these developments and keep our fingers crossed moving forward.

Although the extension of the pause was a bit sobering, as well as the continued rise in numbers, I did have a bit of optimism come over me earlier this week.

The first reason is because of the COVID-19 vaccine that made its way to Rhode Island and has begun to be administered. Obviously it will be months before the vaccine will be widely available and we see what should be a big drop in numbers, but at the end of the day, it is a step in the right direction. I will take small progress over no progress.

Also, Rhode Island Interscholastic League Director Mike Lunney did a television interview addressing the state of high school sports and the upcoming winter season, and I was encouraged with his comments.

For those who did not see the interview, he essentially said that the league hopes to hit the ground running once the pause is over and has already begun putting plans in place for winter. While we remain on pause, there is only so much he and his team can do, but it is great to see the league so anxious to give kids the chance to get back out there.

Now, it is easy for someone to deliver good news. Of course it is simple for him to sit back and tell us what we want to hear. The reason why I believe him and have faith though, is because we have seen it done already in the fall, and the fact that he said that the successful fall season has given them a sense of confidence in establishing plans for the winter and beyond.

Considering winter sports are indoors and the numbers have risen a bit, it will continue to be a challenge and by no means do I expect a totally smooth season. Fall went about as smoothly as you could reasonably expect, and there were still a few hiccups along the way.

Playing sports and having a season considering these new circumstances will be another difficult task, but the league and its members appear to be excited, motivated, and have had a test run over the past few months to hopefully give them a sense of what it will take and what will need to be done.

We’ll see if the governor lifts the pause next week. I feel that chances of her doing so are iffy at best, it would not surprise me in the slightest to see her just extend it through the rest of the year. I would love to see kids back as soon as possible and it would probably serve teams well to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later, but to pick things up after the new year may be the best option overall. It gives all parties time to plan, takes the pressure of the time off of their shoulders, and will maybe even allow a few more weeks to help the numbers drop.

Like I said, everything is still day to day. It is frustrating, it is tired, but it is what it is. Let’s stay positive and keep our eyes and ears open. Good news is that we do appear to be trending in the right direction in terms of having a winter season. Also, again, I apologize if I am boring you. But it is what it is. Bishop Hendricken saw another batch of its athletes sign the National Letters of Intent to play college, headlined by football standout Jason Onye.

Onye, a senior, has become one of the biggest recruits in Rhode Island history, literally and figuratively. He ultimately chose to play ball at Notre Dame next fall.

I am not a huge college football fan to be honest with you, I am more of an NFL nut. But from what I understand about Notre Dame and its system, it seeks athletes that are versatile and well-rounded, and I believe that Onye will be able to fill many roles if called upon.

Onye is another Hawk and another Rhode Islander that will be playing for a major Division I program, which should excite us all. Onye will be taking an impressive step forward in competition, but look at Kwity Paye, he’s slated to potentially be selected in the first round of next year’s draft. It will be fun to see Onye’s progress while keeping tabs on the others. Hopefully this only helps the state’s recruitment moving forward. Lastly, speaking of football, I would say the Patriots’ chances of reaching the playoffs are officially caput. They are still technically in it, but they are going to have win their last three games while seeing three or four other teams crumble. I hate picking against Bill Belichick and this team, but for the first time in 20 years, I am doing just that.

Last week’s loss against the Rams was embarrassing. But I don’t hold it entirely on them … they were the underdogs for a reason and didn’t deserve to win. It is clear that this offense has failed as a unit and will continue to struggle, while the defense is closer to average than elite.

I expected to see a step back in the first season post-Brady, so it’s not like I am surprised. I will say, though, I am going to miss watching meaningful January football. That is something that I am simply not used to. It is crazy how much things can change in a week.

pitch, sports

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